FLORIDA FIELD OPERATIONS GUIDE
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Chapter 10A—Search and Rescue
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 175
Operations Site Set-up .............................................................177
Agency Responsibilities ........................................................... 178
Incident Command System ..................................................... 179
Determine Search Areas ......................................................... 179
Master Map ............................................................................. 179
Search Segmentation .............................................................. 180
Search Priorities ...................................................................... 180
Ground .................................................................................... 180
Actions on Arrival at SAR Incident ........................................... 181
Initial Search Actions ............................................................... 181
During the Rapid Search Phase: .............................................. 182
Air-Sea .................................................................................... 183
US&R Incident Command System Integration ......................... 185
Unified Command ................................................................... 186
Florida Urban Search & Rescue Resources Types ..................... 185
System Organization .............................................................. 188
Type I Full USAR Task Force .................................................... 188
Type II Intermediate USAR Task Force .................................... 189
Type III Light USAR Task Force................................................ 189
Search Strategy ...................................................................... 190
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Chapter 10A
Search & Rescue
INTRODUCTION
Search and Rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people
who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search
and rescue includes many specialty sub fields, mostly based upon
terrain considerations. These include ground wilderness search and
rescue, including the use of search and rescue canines; urban search
and rescue in the city or urban environment; and air-sea rescue over
the water.
Ground Search and Rescue is the search for persons who are lost or
in distress on land or inland waterways. Traditionally associated
with wilderness zones, ground search and rescue services are
increasingly required in urban and suburban areas to locate persons
with Alzheimer’s disease, autism, dementia, or other conditions that
lead to wandering behavior.
Urban Search and Rescue is the location and rescue of person’s
from collapsed buildings or other urban and industrial entrapments.
Due to the specialized nature of the work, most teams are multidisciplinary and include personnel form fire, law enforcement and
emergency medical services. These teams also have specialty
components such as canine teams, structural engineers, and heavy
rigging specialists. They specialize in technical rescue operations in
both wide area disasters and single building collapse incidents.
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Air–Sea Rescue refers to the combined use of aircraft and surface
vessels to search for and recover survivors of aircraft downed at sea
as well as sailors and passengers of sea vessels in distress.
The organizational module of the FOG is designed to provide an
overview of the essential Search and Rescue functions at incidents
where technical rescue expertise and equipment are required for
safe and effective rescue operations. These incidents can be caused
by a variety of natural events (i.e., earthquakes, floods, tornados, or
hurricanes) that cause wide spread damage to a variety of
structures, mass transportation accidents with multiple victims, or
single site events such as excavation collapse or confined space
rescue operations involving only a few victims. US&R operations are
unique in that specialized training and equipment are required to
mitigate the incident in the safest and most efficient manner
possible.
The Florida Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System
provides for the coordination, development, and maintenance of
the States effort with resources to locate, extricate, and provide
immediate medical treatment to victims trapped in collapsed
structures; and to conduct other lifesaving operations.
The US&R Response System methods of operation, organization,
capabilities, and procedures in mobilization, on-site operations, and
demobilization are described in this document.
Two general considerations are used to deploy search resources:
a.
Area to be Searched–This involves the division of the
designated area into manageable sections. Depending
upon the size of the damaged area and the search
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resources available, an area may be sectored by city block,
or other easily definable criteria (i.e., USNG 1000, 10000, or
100000 meter square). The available search resources will
be divided and apportioned to each sector for search
operations.
Priorities–The search area is evaluated for priorities in
terms of the type of occupancies affected, amount of
damage, pre-evacuation, etc. Areas with the highest
likelihood of survivability (in terms of type of construction)
and the number of potential victims (in terms of the type of
occupancy of the building) will receive attention first.
Occupancies such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes,
high-rise and multi-residential buildings, office buildings,
etc., would be high priorities.
Operations Site Set-up
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‡
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Once an area is identified with an active rescue, control of
the area immediately surrounding the site will be
established before rescue operations commence.
An Operational Work Area is established to control access
to the rescue work site except for assigned Task Force (TF)
members and other local rescue personnel involved in an
operation, and to provide safe and secure work areas for
the personnel supporting the rescue operations.
A Collapse/Hazard Zone is established to control access to
the immediate area that could be affected or impacted by
further building collapse, falling debris, or other hazardous
situations (i.e., aftershocks). The only individuals that will
be allowed within this area are the primary TF personnel
directly involved in the search for or extrication of victims.
All other TF personnel must be located outside the hot
zone until assigned or rotated.
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When establishing the perimeter of the operational work
area, the needs of the following areas will be properly
identified:
ƒ Access/Entry Routes (Personnel Accountability
Location)
ƒ Emergency Assembly Area
Agency Responsibilities
Figure 21 – Agency Responsibilities
AGENCY
Florida Fire
Chiefs’ Association
Florida Wing of
the Civil Air Patrol
The Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission
RESPONSIBILITY
Will deploy a logistics officer
to the SEOC on request to
work with the State Fire
Marshal to assist in
responding to requests for
search and rescue assistance
utilizing the Statewide
Emergency Response Plan
Provide aircraft use and
assistance for search and
rescue
Provide aircraft, terrain
vehicles, and other
specialized personnel and
equipment for search and
rescue efforts
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Florida Forest Service
Florida Association of
Search and Rescue
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Provides support in Category
3 and above hurricane
incidents. This includes
sending one of the Florida
Interagency Incident
Management Teams which
are Type 1 IMT’s.
Assist with the coordination
of search and rescue
resources available through
volunteer and local
governmental organizations
Incident Command System
When the IC or UC is designated, the Search and Rescue function
will be placed under the umbrella of the NIMS organizational
structure, typically as the SAR Branch Director or SAR Group
Supervisor in the Operations Section.
Determine Search Areas
In most cases, the search area will be determined before you are
deployed. In some cases, it will not and you will be responsible for
creating a master map, segmenting it, and identifying your
priorities.
Master Map
When building a master map, you will need several different kinds of
maps for information purposes. When intel and information comes
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in, you will plot the information on a main map so you have a clear
understanding of how to move forward.
Search Segmentation
Search areas must be appropriately sized to achieve goals. Smaller
segments that can be completed are better than larger segments
that cannot be completed.
The population density must be considered – some search segments
are going to be very small if many people live in it. Segmentation
assures complete coverage if segments are well defined with clear
boundaries, because findings can be easily mapped and targets can
be easily located in the field.
Search Priorities
Highest priorities should be assigned where the greatest good can
be achieved. Every segment should have a priority attached to it
starting at the top priority and ending with the lowest.
Ground
Ground search and rescue is the search for persons who are lost or in
distress on land or inland waterways. Traditionally associated with
wilderness zones, ground search and rescue services are
increasingly required in urban and suburban areas to locate persons
with Alzheimer’s disease, autism, dementia, or other conditions that
lead to wandering behavior.
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Actions on Arrival at SAR Incident
SAR responders may arrive on scene during the initial response or at
a developing search after some initial actions are in progress or have
already taken place. SAR responders should have in the pre-plan
actions to take when arriving to minimize response time. Items to
consider include:
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‡
‡
‡
Upon arrival at a developing search, leaders should check in
the with the current IC for briefing on actions taken so far,
by whom, and what actions are currently being taken;
Assign a staging area manager and set up staging area;
Analyze mission and prioritize tasks; and
Immediately after a SAR incident begins, plan for personnel
relief (failure to relieve fatigued personnel could lead to
critical errors in search operations and planning).
Initial Search Actions
The Incident Commander will need to plan and conduct a Rapid
(Reflex/Hasty) Search, which may include trackers, canines, and
sound teams, as well as tasks such as perimeter patrols and trail
checks as indicated by the situation and missing person profile
developed.
‡
For searches where the Last Known Position/Place Last
Seen (LKP/PLS) is a residence or structure, once personnel
have been assigned to cover hazards, perform a thorough
check of all buildings in the vicinity of the LKP/PLS to
include attics, rafters, lofts, and basements of all
structures, as well as tall grass areas, scrub, and wood lines
around the perimeter of the property;
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Establish confinement: Perimeter road patrols, if used, should strive
for visual checks of roads/ditches in the area covered by Rapid
Search at least once every 30 minutes;
‡
‡
‡
‡
‡
‡
Perform trail checks or trail-running and have searchers
scan the trails and environment/terrain to either side of
trails;
Keep one of several people available to follow up on
intelligence sources or leads as they become available (Law
enforcement personnel may be a good choice for this task);
Send law enforcement personnel (if available) to check
nearby businesses such as taverns or stores for the subject,
and to gather additional intelligence, as well as check
nearby homes;
Consider sound searches;
Tracking and sign cutting are important tasks during initial
response and Rapid (Reflex/Hasty) Search Phase. As people
walk, they will leave signs of their passage. Skilled tracker
can acquire, age and follow signs. Trackers can work with
canine teams without the two teams interfering with each
other; and
Canine resources may provide significant clues for the
search.
During the Rapid Search Phase:
‡
‡
‡
‡
‡
Brief all field teams;
Maintain confinement;
Perform Rapid Search actions as called for by the mission
profile;
Debrief all returning teams;
Record all efforts (for example, this may be accomplished
using the ICS 214); and
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Analyze mission profile to prioritize Rapid (Reflex/Hasty)
Search tasks.
After all Rapid (Reflex/Hasty) Search resources have deployed to the
field, the focus of activity in the command post should shift to the
Communications and Situation functions, who will handle radio
traffic, position and status reports from the field. While the Rapid
Search is taking place, General Staff should begin planning for the
next operational period.
Air-Sea
Air-Sea rescue refers to the combined use of aircraft and surface
vessels to search for and recover survivors of aircraft downed on
land or at sea as well as sailors and passengers of sea vessels in
distress.
An aircraft on an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan is
considered overdue when neither communication nor radar contact
can be established and 30 minutes have passed since its Expected
Time of Arrival (ETA) over a specified or compulsory reporting point
or at a clearance limit
An aircraft on a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight plan is considered
overdue when it fails to arrive 30 minutes after its ETA and
communications or location cannot be established
An aircraft not on a filed flight plan is considered overdue at the
actual time a reliable source reports it to be at least one hour late at
its destination.
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The county emergency management office and the State EOC
should be contacted in the event of any missing aircraft to help
coordinate multiple agencies and jurisdictions. The lead State
Agency for locating downed aircraft is the Civil Air Patrol (CAP).
Civil Air Patrol flies more than 85 percent of all search-and-rescue
missions directed by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at
Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Outside the continental United
States, CAP supports the Joint Rescue Coordination Centers in
Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Searching for missing aircraft is decidedly different than missing
person searches. Planning an air search for an overdue or missing
aircraft initially involves estimating the most probable location of a
distress incident or of the incident’s survivors.
One of the initial challenges in searching for a missing aircraft is
determining the size of the search area large enough to ensure that
the aircraft is somewhere in the area, yet small enough to be able to
search with the available SAR resources. Second, search planners
must choose SAR resources for the search and the search patterns
to be employed to effectively cover the area.
Some aircraft searches are relatively simple if enough evidence such
as eyewitness reports, distress beacon coordinates, or radar data
points provide the location of the downed aircraft. The position of a
distress incident can be determined within fairly narrow limits if the
following data is available:
‡
‡
Location where the aircraft disappeared off radar
Bearing or fix provided by radar, ground station or
emergency radio aid
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Dead reckoning position based on time of LKP (Last Known
Position) / PLS (Place Last Seen)
Reports of sightings
Radar data is probably the most important piece of information to
help narrow down the search area. Rescue Coordination Centers are
the primary agency to assist in gathering radar data from the FAA as
well as other information. (Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City
Florida afrcc.console@tyndall.af.mil or 1-800-851-3051
US&R Incident Command System Integration
a.
b.
It is a planning assumption that an ICS system will be in
place before the arrival of US&R elements,
The first arriving US&R command officer will coordinate
the command of US&R resources with the Incident
commander.
Florida Urban Search & Rescue Resources Types
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Figure 22 – Unified Command
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Figure 23 – Florida Urban Search & Rescue Resources Types
Resource
Florida
Type
USAR Teams
Type I
Type III
Type I
Type II
Type I
Collapse
Search &
Rescue Team
Type II Collapse
Search & Rescue
Team
Type IV Collapse
Search & Rescue
Team
LIGHT TASK
FORCE
HEAVY TRT
LIGHT TRT
Structural
collapse,
collapse
situations
including
light frame,
heavy wall,
heavy floor
and pre-cast
concrete
construction
Heavy, Industrial,
Vehicle
Extrication, Life
safety rope
rescue, confined
space,
trench/excavation
Heavy, Industrial,
Vehicle
Extrication, Life
safety rope
rescue, confined
space,
trench/excavation
NIMS
Equivalent
Type I US&R
Task Force
Type II US&R
Task Force
Florida
Designation
FULL TASK
FORCE
(HEAVY)
Incident
Type
Structural
collapse,
collapse
situations
including light
frame, heavy
wall, heavy
floor and precast concrete
construction
INTERMEDIATE
TASK FORCE
Structural
collapse,
collapse
situations
including
light frame,
heavy wall,
heavy floor
and pre-cast
concrete
construction
Minimum
Staffing
Max Time
to Wheels
Turning
Technical Rescue Teams
Type II
70
32
22
8
6
< 6 hrs
< 6 hrs
< 3 hrs
Immediate
Immediate
Operational
Period
24-hour
operations;
Self-sufficient
for first 72
hours
12-24 hour
operations;
Selfsufficient for
first 72 hours
Medium
operations for 4-8
hours; Typically
require assistance
from additional
team for
sustained
operations
Basic operations
for
3-6 hours;
Typically require
assistance for
sustained
operations
Response
Type
Federal
State
Regional
Federal
State
Regional
Local or Regional
Local
Training
NFPA 1670
Technician:
Structural
Collapse, Rope
Rescue,
Confined
Space,
Vehicle and
Machinery,
Trench and
Excavation;
NFPA 1670
Operations:
Water,
Wilderness
SAR
NFPA 1670
Technician:
Structural
Collapse,
Rope Rescue,
Confined
Space,
Vehicle and
Machinery,
Trench
and
Excavation;
NFPA 1670
Operations:
Water,
Wilderness
SAR
NFPA 1670
Technician:
Structural
Collapse,
Rope Rescue,
Confined Space,
Vehicle and
Machinery,
Trench
and Excavation
NFPA 1670
Operations:
Structural
Collapse, Rope
Rescue, Confined
Space, Vehicle
and
Machinery,
Trench
and Excavation
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Capable of
sustained
heavy
operations
for 18-24
hours
Local
Regional
State
NFPA 1670
Technician:
Structural
Collapse,
Rope
Rescue,
Confined
Space,
Vehicle and
Machinery,
Trench
and
Excavation;
NFPA 1670
Operations:
Water,
Wilderness
SAR
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System Organization
The State of Florida US&R response system is based upon providing
a coordinated response to disasters in urbanized environments.
Special emphasis is placed on the capability to locate and extricate
victims trapped in collapsed buildings, from light residential
construction to heavy reinforced concrete structures. The system is
based on a tiered response that will assure the proper response of
the closest appropriate resources for the incident.
Type I Full USAR Task Force
This is a State of Florida or Federal asset capable of twenty-four
operations for a minimum of seventy-two hours without the need
for outside resources and will consist of 70 personnel. The staffing
for each twelve-hour shift of personnel is a minimum of 31
personnel.
Figure 24 – Type I Full USAR Task Force
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Figure 25 – Florida Type 1 Teams
Task Force 1 Miami Dade
Task Force 2 South Florida
Task Force 3 Tampa Bay
Federal and State Deployable
Federal and State Deployable
State Deployable
Type II Intermediate USAR Task Force
This is a State of Florida or Federal asset made up of local
responders with the personnel, equipment, and training equivalent
to half of a Type I Task Force. This unit is capable of twelve-hour
operations for a minimum of seventy-two hours without the need
for outside resources. This resource will provide a scaled down
version of a full Task Force and will be able to handle some collapse
incidents without the need for additional assistance.
Type II consists of a minimum of 32 personnel capable of working
for twelve hours. Intermediate teams will typically require relief by a
full task force or another intermediate team for twenty-four hour
operations.
Figure 26 – Florida Type 2 Teams
Task Force 4 Central Florida
Task Force 5 North Florida
Task Force 6 South Florida
State Deployable
State Deployable
State Deployable
Type III Light USAR Task Force
A Type III Light US&R Team will consist of a minimum of 22
personnel capable of working for up to twelve hours. A Type III
response requires relief by an intermediate or full task force for
prolonged or twenty-four hour operations.
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Search Strategy
Structure/Hazards Markings
A standardized marking system is used to assure rescuer safety and
to avoid needles duplication of search efforts. In order to be easily
seen, the search mark must be large and of a contrasting color to
the background surface. Orange spray paint is the most easily seen
color on most backgrounds. Line marking or downward spray cans
apply the best paint marks. A lumber marking device may be used
to write additional information inside the search mark itself when it
would be difficult to write the additional information with spray
paint.
A ”Main Entrance“ search marking will be completed in two steps:
‡
‡
‡
‡
‡
First, a large (approximately 2’) single slash shall be made
near the main entrance at the start of the search with the
search team identifier, date and time that they entered
marked to the left of the mid-point of the slash.
After the search of the entire structure has been
completed, a second large slash shall be drawn in the
opposite direction forming an “X”. Additional information
will be placed in the remaining three quadrants of the Main
Entrance “X” summarizing the entire search of the
structure.
The left quadrant will already contain the search team
identifier, date and time when the team first entered the
structure.
The top quadrant is for the date and time the search team
left the structure.
The right quadrant is for any significant hazards located
inside the structure.
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The bottom quadrant is for the number of “LIVE” or
“DEAD” victims still inside the structure this will be
indicated with “L” or “D”.
Use a small “x” in the bottom quadrant if no victims are
inside the structure.
During the search function while inside the structure a large
single slash shall be made upon entry of each room or area.
After the search of the room or area has been completed a
second large slash shall be drawn in the opposite direction
forming an “X”.
The only additional information placed in any of the “X”
quadrants while inside the structure shall be that pertaining
to any significant hazards or the number of “LIVE” or
“DEAD” victims.
If multiple floors are searched a box under the X will show
how many floors/quadrants have been searched in the
positive. Indicate “F” for floors and “O” for quadrants.
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Figure 27 – Search Markings
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Figure 28 – US&R Victim Marking System
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Figure 29 – Main Entrance Search Markings
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